Welcome!



About the SCAS

The Santa Cruz Archaeological Society (SCAS) is a non-profit organization working with multiple agencies, local schools, Native American tribes, and other interest groups to help showcase and preserve local history. A core mission of the Santa Cruz Archaeological Society is to educate the public – including adults, high school students, and others sharing a fascination with California’s unique history and cultures – on recent theories and current archaeological research in the Monterey Bay region, California, and beyond.

The Santa Cruz Archaeological Society is also a member of the Council of Allied Societies, a forum organized by the Society for American Archaeology for the advancement of archaeology and the exchange of information about cultural resources protection. In recent years, SCAS has visited primary school classrooms focusing on California history and the Society also regularly participates in the Santa Cruz County History Fair, job fairs, the Aptos Farmer’s Market, and profession meetings of the Society for California Archaeology.

The Santa Cruz Archaeological Society also holds an annual California Archaeology Month Film Fest in October, as well as lectures on local and other specific archaeological topics at free monthly meetings open to the public. Students, parents, grandparents, and anyone with an interest in archaeology, anthropology, or history is invited to join the Santa Cruz Archaeological Society and be a part of the longstanding effort to help preserve local heritage for the future.


In the Spotlight



The Santa Cruz Archaeological Society is headquartered within the territory of Soquel, a thriving village of indigenous Awaswas (Ohlone) speaking Aptos peoples. Despite violence and displacement introduced by missionaries and other Euro-American colonizers, this homeland is still visited and stewarded in the present day by multiple Native American tribal groups. An internet search will help identify tribal groups in our area of California. We also acknowledge that the Santa Cruz Archaeological Society membership extends outward to the homelands of many more Native American peoples and groups who continue to practice their cultures while caring for the lands and waters of their traditional areas.

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